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Linear Formula: HOC6H4CO2CH3
CAS Number: 99-76-3
Molecular Weight: 152.15
EC Number: 202-785-7
Properties
Chemical formula: C8H8O3
Molar mass: 152.149 g·mol−1
Appearance: Colorless crystals or white crystalline powder
UV-vis (λmax): 255 nm (methanol)
Magnetic susceptibility (χ): −88.7·10−6 cm3/mol
APPLICATIONS
Methylparaben is an anti-fungal agent often used in a variety of cosmetics and personal-care products.
Methylparaben is also used as a food preservative and has the E number E218.
Methylparaben is commonly used as a fungicide in Drosophila food media at 0.1%.
To Drosophila, methylparaben is toxic at higher concentrations, has an estrogenic effect (mimicking estrogen in rats and having anti-androgenic activity), and slows the growth rate in the larval and pupal stages at 0.2%.
Methylparabens are used in a wide variety of cosmetic products. This includes:
-makeup
-shaving products
-hair care products
-moisturizers
-some deodorants
Methylparabens are also used in a number of processed foods and medications.
Methylparaben Prevents fungus growth, preserves ingredients, creates antibacterial formulas.
Methylparaben is used to preserve the formula of a skincare product and is therefore not directly beneficial to the state of your skin's health.
Methylparaben Prevents fungus growth: Thanks to its antibacterial properties, methylparaben is a preservative that is added to many creams and cosmetic products to prevent fungus from growing.
Methylparaben Preserves ingredients: Given the way methylparaben prevents fungus from growing within creamy formulas, it's able to preserve ingredients and help consumers get the most out of their cosmetic purchases.
Methylparaben Is antibacterial: Since it's a preservative, methylparaben is effective at preventing microbial growth and germs such as bacteria and mold in skincare and cosmetic formulations.
Methylparaben has been used as a preservative in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries for over 50 years.
The chemical formula for methyl paraben is C8H8O3.
Methylparaben is also found naturally in fruits like blueberries where it has antimicrobial activity.
Methylparaben is completely absorbed through the skin or after ingestion, and it is hydrolyzed to para-hydroxybenzoic acid, and metabolites are rapidly excreted in the urine.
There is no evidence of accumulation.
Methylparaben is on the FDA generally regarded as safe list.
Methylparaben is frequently used as a preservative in cosmetics to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold in products that would otherwise be susceptible to microbial growth.
Methylparaben is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent that is effective over a widespread pH range.
Interestingly, it is believed that the mechanism of action of methylparaben—like other parabens—is by interfering with cellular membrane transfer processes as well as by inhibition of the synthesis of DNA, RNA, and enzymes in bacterial cells.
On the molecular level, methylparaben is characterized by its alkyl hydroxybenzoate structure in which case esterification is carried out with p-hydroxybenzoic acid in the presence of an alcohol (in this case methanol) resulting in the formation of the methyl ester of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid.
Other common parabens used to preserve cosmetic products include ethylparaben, propylparaben, isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, and benzylparaben.
This preservative prevents bacteria, moulds and fungi from growing and multiplying, keeping product blends fresher for longer.
Methylparaben (E number E218) is preservative in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.
Methylparaben is completely absorbed through the skin or after ingestion and and it is hydrolyzed to para-hydroxybenzoic acid, and metabolites are rapidly excreted in the urine. Methylparaben is on the FDA generally regarded as safe list.
DESCRIPTION
Methylparaben, also methyl paraben, one of the parabens, is a preservative with the chemical formula CH3(C6H4(OH)COO).
Methylparaben is the methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid.
Additionally, Methylparaben serves as a pheromone for a variety of insects and is a component of queen mandibular pheromone.
Methylparaben is a pheromone in wolves produced during estrus associated with the behavior of alpha male wolves preventing other males from mounting females in heat.
Methylparaben is a type of paraben.
Parabens are chemicals that are often used as preservatives to give products a longer shelf life.
They’re added to food or cosmetics to prevent the growth of mold and other harmful bacteria.
Many products that contain methylparabens also contain one or two other types of parabens in their ingredients.
Researchers are beginning to study whether the use of methylparabens and other parabens is safe.
At this time, there is no conclusive evidence either way.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to allow the use of methylparabens in various products.
Methylparaben is a 4-hydroxybenzoate ester resulting from the formal condensation of the carboxy group of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid with methanol.
Methylparaben is the most frequently used antimicrobial preservative in cosmetics.
Also, Methylparaben occurs naturally in several fruits, particularly in blueberries.
Methylparaben has a role as a plant metabolite, an antimicrobial food preservative, a neuroprotective agent and an antifungal agent.
Methylparaben is one of the most popular preservatives in beauty products and food items.
The ingredient occurs naturally in a handful of fruits—like blueberries—though it can also be created synthetically.1
It's found in everything from cream cleansers and moisturizers to primers and foundations and helps these products maintain their effectiveness.
Rabach says that it's chock-full of anti-fungal and antibacterial properties, which work wonders to extend the shelf life of skincare, haircare, and cosmetic products.
Parabens are a group of controversial preservatives that include butylparaben, isobutylparaben, propylparaben, methylparaben, and ethylparaben.
All of these were at one time the most widely used group of preservatives used in cosmetics.
Parabens were so popular because of their gentle, non-sensitizing, and highly effective profile in comparison to other preservatives but also because they were derived naturally from plants, a rare phenomenon for a preservative.
Parabens are found in plants in the form of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA), a chemical that breaks down to become parabens for a plants own protection.
Methylparaben is an extra fine white powder with faint odor that is non-hygroscopic and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as a preservative in foods.
For over 50 years this neutral ester of para-hydroxybenzoic acid has functioned as an excellent bacteriostatic and fungistatic agent at low concentration against a wide range of organisms.
Methylparaben is stable and active from pH 3 to 8, and is often used in conjunction with other additives (e.g., EDTA or its salts, Quaternium-15, Diazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben) for synergistic effects.
In personal care products, Methylparaben and Propylparaben have typically been used in combination (0.2% Methylparaben and 0.1% Propylparaben, with levels adjusted to specific circumstances).
Methylparaben has limited solubility in water, so presolubilization can reduce dissolution time and therefore batching time.
The preference for parabens continues due to their 50-year history of safety and reliability.
Safety
There is controversy about whether methylparaben or propylparabens are harmful at concentrations typically used in body care or cosmetics.
Methylparaben and propylparaben are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the USFDA for food and cosmetic antibacterial preservation.
Methylparaben is readily metabolized by common soil bacteria, making it completely biodegradable.
Methylparaben is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract or through the skin.
Methylparaben is hydrolyzed to p-hydroxybenzoic acid and rapidly excreted in urine without accumulating in the body.
Acute toxicity studies have shown that methylparaben is practically non-toxic by both oral and parenteral administration in animals.
In a population with normal skin, methylparaben is practically non-irritating and non-sensitizing; however, allergic reactions to ingested parabens have been reported.
A 2008 study found no competitive binding for human estrogen and androgen receptors for methylparaben, but varying levels of competitive binding were seen with butyl- and isobutyl-paraben.
Studies indicate that methylparaben applied on the skin may react with UVB, leading to increased skin aging and DNA damage.
SYNONYMS
Methyl paraben;
Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate;
Methyl parahydroxybenzoate;
Nipagin M;
Methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
METHYLPARABEN
99-76-3
Methyl paraben
Methyl p-hydroxybenzoate
